


Running Blind

by WritingEmi



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Blindness, Canon-Typical Violence, Community: yj_anon_meme, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Insecure Wally West, Insecurity, Kaldur is a good leader, Overprotective, Pre-Slash, Protective Barry Allen, Team, Team Dynamics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-09
Updated: 2017-07-09
Packaged: 2018-11-29 21:29:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11449410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WritingEmi/pseuds/WritingEmi
Summary: As a result of the experiment that gave Wally his powers, he goes blind whenever he uses his super speed.  The team doesn't know this.Written for a YJ Anon Meme prompt many years ago: One of the complications that can come about from being struck by lightning is transient blindness and so sometimes, mostly while using his speed, Wally goes blind. That's the real reason for the goggles, they let him (kind of?) see during an episode. Somehow the team finds out. It lasts longer than usual, his goggles break, they find out during training that he's really good at fighting blind, whatever works.





	Running Blind

**Author's Note:**

> Still in the process of moving some of my old fics into A3O.

There was blood in Kid Flash’s eyes, but it almost didn’t matter because he still wouldn’t have been able to see if there wasn’t a head wound gushing blood into his eyes. Kid Flash gritted his teeth and he brushed his hands against the ground in front of him, finding nothing. Instead he heard the distinct sound of glass crunching nearby and Kid Flash’s heart dropped into his stomach.

“Don’t think we don’t know about your little _disability_ ,” a voice hissed quietly into his ear.

Kid Flash tensed and even without his sight he knew that it was that woman with the grinning cat mask. The woman who knocked him into that pool where he almost drowned. His hands clenched as the tip of her weapon dragged across his throat, tearing at his suit. 

“Now, be a good little boy and don’t move,” she told him.

Kid Flash went completely still. He didn’t like to admit it, but he was scared. There was only one other time when something like this happened and the Flash had come to help him in the nick of time. 

_Kid Flash groaned as his body hit the wall. He closed his eyes during the impact and from what he could hear the Flash and Captain Cold were nowhere near them, leaving him alone with the Pied Piper. It scared him, but he wasn’t going to give up and go home just because he was a little nervous. Opening his eyes, Kid Flash couldn’t see Piper anywhere and out of instinct he cocked his head to the side, listening. Making sure his goggles were firmly in place, Kid Flash charged in the direction where he heard Piper shuffling around._

_It was a good thing for him that Piper was all about sound._

_Or not. Piper brought his flute up to his lips and Kid Flash’s body froze, under Piper’s song and control._

_His heart pounded in his chest when Piper walked towards him and removed his goggles. His world fell into familiar darkness._

_“Look at me,” Piper commanded._

_When he couldn’t readily obey, Kid Flash made his best guess from where he last saw Piper and from where he could hear the Rogue’s breathing. His breath hitched as fingertips ran along his jaw line and a quiet laugh rang in his ears._

_“I thought so.”_

_Kid Flash didn’t get a chance to ask what Piper was talking about, because the Flash’s panicked cry drew his attention away._

_“KID!”_

This time though, the Flash wasn’t there and Kid Flash didn’t know where his teammates were. He listened and he thought that Miss Martian and Robin had been right behind him. He cocked his head to the side when he heard a soft groan of pain to his far left.

_Rob._

Both fear and anger crept up in him and the woman in front of him laughed. “Your friends didn’t put up much of a fight. But I suppose that’s the purpose of an ambush.”

 _“Wally …?”_ A pained voice whispered into Kid Flash’s mind.

_Megan._

And then he couldn’t stop himself. He was moving.

Long hours of painful training, of being blindfolded and taught to listen, of his uncle taking jabs at him and reminding him that one day this might save his life, kicked in. He trained for months before his uncle let him go out on patrol and then almost a year before he could leave Central City. Kid Flash trained blindfolded, learning patience and to listen when the darkness took over.

_“Ow! Uncle Barry!” A blindfolded, thirteen year old Wally whined as he rubbed at his ribs. “Can’t I just use my goggles?”_

_“What if something happens to them and I’m not around? You need to be prepared, Wally! I need to know that you’ll be safe!” Barry was trying to sound tough, not guilty for picking on his blind nephew._

_“But you’ll be there, right? You’ll be there to back me up, right?”_

_Uncle Barry ruffled his hair. “I’ll always try to be. I always want to be there for you, but if something happens I need to know that you can take care of yourself. And plus, I don’t think any of the other sidekicks can fight in the dark.”_

_“Really?” Wally perked up and then took a deep breath. “Ok, let’s try this again.”_

Everything that the Flash taught him came through. He struck out at the woman, throwing his fist with confidence in the direction he last heard her and surprised her. Kid Flash could hear her feet drag across the ground, a curse and then the patter of feet running towards him. She was slightly to his right. He dodged a sai that was thrust his way and blocked the kick swung at him from the left. And he hit back, using his speed to give his punches and kicks force, even though using his powers prolonged his bout of blindness. He wasn’t thinking about that though, he had to protect his friends.

He found that he had to listen to the woman carefully as she made liberal usage of jumps and flips to avoid making noise against the ground. But this wasn’t unusual to Kid Flash. He was used to the sound of Robin moving through the air.

_It was exciting and terrifying to sneak into Wayne Manor. Robin had reassured him that Alfred was out running errands and Batman wouldn’t be back until the next day. Dick told him he could stay longer since they could easily avoid Alfred, but Wally had to return to Central City before his aunt and uncle or his parents noticed that he was missing. Wally often wondered who had the more protective parental figures, him or Dick. Not that he’d ever breathe a word to Dick about that._

_So it was a quick visit to Wayne Manor, but it was enough to send a fearful and joyful shiver through a fourteen (and a half) year old Wally West._

_Robin gave him a tour of his favorite places in the manor with the exception of the Batcave, no matter how much Wally begged to see it. “Dude, you’re not cleared to go into the Batcave, you’ll literally be killed, either by the security system or by Batman because he will know,” Robin had told him. Wally just pouted._

_At the end of the tour, Dick showed Wally his personal gym with equipment that any acrobat would be jealous of. Wally had seen Robin in action before, but he asked Dick to show him his regular routine. Wally sat on one of the mats and watched as Dick swung from the bars while explaining to Wally what he was doing and stories about learning those moves from his parents. Watching Dick move effortlessly through the air took his breath away, but Wally was also interested in the sound, the whoosh of air, Dick’s controlled breathing, the sound of his voice and the clap of Dick’s hands went they met the bars. Wally found himself closing his eyes and concentrating on the sound of Dick flying, trying to anticipate where his friend was in the air._

_“Hey, you weren’t watching me!” Dick whined once his feet hit the ground._

_Wally opened his eyes and he went flush from being caught. “I just … I like to listen sometimes.”_

_Dick gave him a look and shook his head. “You can be so weird.”_

He could hear the assassin jump again and he could hear her breathing, the movement of her clothes and the swing of her sais slicing through the air. Kid Flash dodged again and managed to knock her down.

“I see you know some tricks,” his opponent growled as she bounced back onto her feet.

Kid Flash smirked. She just told him exactly where she was and he was satisfied when his foot connected with her side. Most times Kid Flash wasn’t this focused, he didn’t have the patience to do something like this. Waiting. Listening. Calculating every move he made. But he had no choice when he couldn’t see. When his vision was gone, Kid Flash was forced into being patient. He hated it. It felt counterintuitive to his powers, it went against his every instinct and he never acted this way if he could help it. He couldn’t even insult or banter with the enemy. But Kid Flash felt an odd sense of pride that he could fight without his sight.

He could still hear his uncle’s voice rising in pride when he blocked one of the Flash’s punches and countered with his own while blindfolded. _“Good job, Kid! That was amazing! One day this will save your life!”_

Now he was fighting toe to toe with a trained assassin. He could never tell Uncle Barry or else his uncle would never stop saying, “I told you so.”

Suddenly the woman with the grinning cat mask chuckled to herself and he heard her take off in another direction. At first he thought that she was running away, but his heart seized when he realized that she was heading in the direction that he had heard Robin’s groan of pain. She was going after his friend. And all of his patience and focus went out of the window. He had to protect Robin.

He was running after her in an instant and then he heard the clatter of the marbles hitting the ground. There was no way Kid Flash was going to stop in time and all too quickly his feet were flying out from under him. His head struck the concrete and pain erupted from his skull. But he couldn’t lie there because he could hear the woman coming towards him and if memory served him correctly the last time she took him down she kicked him in the head and tried to drown him a pool. He rolled out of the way in time to feel tip of her sai graze his temple and warm blood dripped down the side of his face.

But his head was throbbing and it was so much harder to concentrate. He couldn’t focus, he couldn’t tell where the woman was until he was almost to his feet and she swept his legs out and he hit the ground again. Kid Flash rolled out of the way again, but this time the assassin’s blade bit into side, leaving a deep gash. It hurt his pride when he cried out, but he couldn’t help it. He still couldn’t see, he didn’t know where his friends were and now his side burned with pain and he was bleeding. Wally was scared.

_Uncle Barry, I’m sorry I didn’t train harder._

“GET AWAY FROM HIM!”

Superboy’s scream of rage never sounded so good to Kid Flash and he heard the clatter of sais on the concrete and the assassin cursed loudly as Superboy barreled into her. Kid Flash let himself relax for a moment before searching for his goggles. He crawled along the floor, his head felt too light and his limbs felt too heavy to stand and his side hurt with each movement he made. His fingers skimmed over the concrete floor, trying to remember where he heard them fall and heard the crunch of the lenses when that woman crushed them. There were an extra set of lenses in the cupboard of one of his gauntlets and if he could just find the goggles then he could fix them before anyone noticed. 

Finally his fingers made contact with his goggles and Kid Flash grabbed them. But from what he could feel the frames were bent and his spare lenses weren’t going to fit. A groan of misery and frustration rose from his throat. His uncle was going to freak when he found out.

_“What were you thinking!? Going into a secret lab by yourself!” Barry glared at his nephew and partner._

_“I wasn’t by myself! Robin and Aqualad were with me! And then Supey, you know, when he wasn’t trying to kill us.” Wally tried to defend himself. He knew that his friends thought he’d be the one who’d get off the easiest for their little jaunt in the Cadmus facility. But Barry was furious, Wally would be lucky if he’d ever get to step outside of his house again._

_“They don’t know, Wally! They don’t know how to back you up! What would you have done if your goggles broke!?” Barry angrily thrust Wally’s goggles in front of his face and Wally could clearly see the large crack that had formed in the right lens after his fight with Superboy._

_“Oh. Um, yeah, about that …”_

“Kid!” Aqualad’s hand gripped his shoulder and pulled Kid Flash against his chest. Kid Flash blinked, he hadn’t even noticed his team leader running up to him. Fingers gently wiped away the crusted blood on his face and there was a quick intake of breath as a hand gently ran along the gash on his side. “Kid, are you ok?”

Kid Flash tried to cover up his wound, he wasn’t sure how bad it was, but he was sure that Robin and Miss Martian needed help more than he did. “I’m fine, go check on Robin and Miss M.”

“They’re ok, I’m more concerned about you.” Aqualad paused and his breath hitched. “Kid? What’s wrong with your eyes?”

Kid Flash could only imagine how he must have looked to his friend. His uniform torn, goggles smashed, covered in blood and his eyes staring ahead sightlessly. He tilted his face towards Aqualad, but all that did was make Aqualad tighten his grip on Kid Flash. Pressing his hand against Aqualad’s chest, Kid Flash tried to move away from his friend, but he was too weak from blood loss and he wondered briefly when the gash in his side would heal. He didn’t want to be seen like this, not until his vision returned. 

“Go help Robin and Miss M,” he repeated.

“Artemis is tending to them.” There was a quiver to Aqualad’s usually calm voice. “Kid? Can you … can you see me?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine.” He tried to reassure Aqualad, but his head fell back onto his friend’s shoulder and he could feel his eyelids droop. “I’m fine, I just … My sight is …” Kid Flash lost his train of thought and he lifted his hand from his wound, it felt warm and sticky. “Am I … Am I still bleeding?” And his arm fell limply to the side.

He didn’t protest as Aqualad lifted him up, holding him close and yelled, “Miss Martian! Call the bioship! _Now_!”

Kid Flash closed his eyes and let himself drift off because he was too tired, too worn out. The darkness was all the same anyway.

_The first time it happened was the scariest. It happened the day he had been released from the hospital and he was confined to bed rest despite the fact that Wally never had more energy in his life._

_“Don’t move a muscle until I get back and we’ll figure this out together,” Uncle Barry told him._

_“Where are you going?” Wally asked and secretly hoped that his uncle would take him with him. Maybe even take him for a run._

_“To Gotham. For some advice.” And with that Uncle Barry pressed a kiss on Wally’s forehead and was gone._

_Wally tried to stay in bed. He really did. But when the phone rang downstairs and no one was answering it, he left his room to get the phone. Except Wally was unable to control himself and moved at super speed for the first time to the living room. At first he was surprised that he made it downstairs so fast and then he was confused when he couldn’t see anything. Wally blinked rapidly and frantically rubbed at his eyes trying to clear his vision and his heart began to pound in his chest when it didn’t. He couldn’t see. He waved his own hand in front of his face and there was nothing._

_“Mom? Mom!” He called out, his voice shaking. “Mom!? Dad!?” Wally waited and listened for his parents, but all he heard was the hum of white noise. It hit him like a ton of bricks as he realized that his parents had left him alone. His parents had left their son who just got out of the hospital alone._

_“Fuck!” Wally ran his hands through his hair and gripped at his scalp. “What the hell!? What the hell is wrong with me!? Why can’t I see? Why can’t I see!? Mom! Dad! Aunt Iris! Uncle Barry! Help! Help me!” He called for everyone he could think of, but there was no answer. He was alone and he couldn’t see._

_Panic rose up in him and Wally fumbled around the room, knocking down a lamp and a side table in his effort to make it back to the stairs. He almost cried out with relief when his fingers met the familiar polished banister of the staircase and made his way upstairs and to his room. After only taking a few steps into the room, he tripped over his own sneakers and hit the carpeted floor hard. Between the shock of the impact and his fear, Wally didn’t have the energy to get back up and he couldn’t stop the terrified sob from leaving his throat. At least no one was around to hear him._

_All of the boundless energy he earlier had been drained from his very being and he lied upon the rough carpet, waiting. Waiting for someone to find him, for his vision to return, for his crying to stop, for anything really._

_Wally squeezed his eyes shut, but it made no difference._

When Wally finally opened his eyes again the light had returned.

\--

Wally blinked his eyes against the flood of light that attacked his senses. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the light coming from the lamp sitting on the table next to the bed he was lying in. Looking around Wally saw that he was in the medical bay at Mount Justice. Robin and Miss Martian must have been ok if they weren’t in there with him. His torn and dirtied Kid Flash uniform was missing and he was wearing a flimsy cotton hospital gown in its place. Closing his eyes again, Wally ran his hand down his side and found the gash had been bandaged. It was tender to the touch, but it no long burned with pain nor was it bleeding.

Opening his eyes again, Wally began to wonder when his vision returned. He wanted to record the time in his notes.

He’s spent long hours and days testing his condition. What triggered it, how long it lasted, if anything made it go away faster, everything that he could think of Kid Flash has tested it. It came down to science, testing his hypothesis, adjusting it as new evidence came to light, retesting to reproduce his results and recording everything. Hidden in his closet were journals of notes, of not only his experiments but of accidents that triggered the blindness.

_They were meeting with Green Arrow and Speedy. Another superhero and sidekick pair, the first Kid Flash would meet and he was beyond excited. He still wasn’t allowed out of Central City and he was still monitored closely by the Flash, but Green Arrow and Speedy were coming to them. A criminal from Star City popped up on Central City and the Flash called them in to help. And now they would meet._

_Kid Flash’s body vibrated with excitement. He was going to meet Speedy. From everything he read and seen on TV Speedy was a strong, brave and skilled hero. The older teen was also a redhead like Wally, but he was sure the that Speedy never got teased or bullied, because from everything he read and seen on TV Speedy was cool and had an attitude. Kid Flash was thrilled to meet him._

_His body vibrated even more as Green Arrow and Speedy came into sight, and the Flash chuckled at his partner. And then darkness suddenly overcame Kid Flash’s vision._

_His unseeing eyes widened and he instantly went still. Quickly he jerked down goggles over his face and an imperfect sight replaced his normal vision. The Flash looked down at him with worry and curiosity, but Kid Flash turned his head away._

_He would have to make note of the incident later. For now, he just hoped that Speedy didn’t think his goggles were dorky._

Wally frowned to himself, this was one piece of data that would be lost.

Sliding out of the bed, Wally decided it was time to make his escape and to come up with a plan for damage control. Kaldur had seen him without his goggles, had seen his sightless eyes and he would want answers that Wally wasn’t willing to give. If he could sneak over to Robin’s room and hide under the Boy Wonder’s bed, then he’d have plenty of time to strategize. It’s worked on more than one occasion.

_“Dude, are you under my bed?”_

_Yes, Wally was and he had his head buried in his arms as he laid under his best friend’s bed. He accidently used his powers as he vibrated with anger over Artemis’s replacement of Red Arrow and the light faded from his senses. He knew that Kaldur was looking for him to talk to him about his attitude about Artemis. So Wally hid in Robin’s room, waiting for his vision to return._

_A couple more minutes, Wally thought. A couple more minutes and he’d be able to see again according to his educated guess._

_“What are you doing under my bed?” Robin demanded, hanging upside down from his bed._

_“I’m plotting against Artemis and planning to trick Red Arrow into joining the team!” Came Wally’s muffled answer._

_“Oh. Well, you could do that on the bed instead of under it.”_

_“But this is my thinking place,” Wally protested, though in reality it was his hiding place._

Wally opened the medical bay door and found Kaldur on the other side. Kaldur, who had a pair of smashed goggles in his hand.

The team leader took a step into the medical bay, forcing Wally to take a step back or be run over by his friend. Kaldur looked so upset that it made Wally’s stomach turn and he knew better than to argue with Kaldur at the moment even though he was sorely tempted to. Webbed fingers grabbed his shoulder and pushed the speedster back towards the empty bed.

“You should be resting, that wound was a lot deeper than we anticipated and you lost a lot of blood,” Kaldur insisted as he guided Wally back to the bed and tucked him in under the covers despite Wally sticking his tongue out at his leader in protest and sat up against the headboard. Pale eyes looked into Wally’s bright green ones and Kaldur seemed relieved. “You can see again.”

“I could always see,” Wally lied. “I was just out of it, you know, fighting a trained evil assassin all by myself. It’s just all in a day’s work.”

Kaldur dragged a chair over to the bed and sat down. “Tell me what happened.”

“I got caught off guard and injured, she won’t get me again.” He was beginning to sulk because this was the second time he was almost killed by that woman.

“Tell me before I ask the Flash.”

Wally froze at that threat.

_“Now that you’re on a team you have to tell them. They have to know.”_

_“I’ll tell them, Uncle Barry,” Wally promised. He just never specified when he’d tell his team._

He didn’t tell them because of how overprotective his uncle was. Kid Flash didn’t officially get to leave the boundaries of Central City until he was almost fifteen, even though he snuck out on more than one occasion. The only reason why he met the other sidekicks were because they were all at some point taken to Central City by their respective mentors. 

Wally didn’t want that with his team. He didn’t want them to be worried about him and he wanted to be their equal. So he didn’t tell them, the fact that his power was also his weakness was embarrassing. He used to comfort himself with the thought that at least he had a power as Robin and Speedy didn’t. But that comfort was lost upon meeting the non-meta boys and he saw how they weren’t limited by their lack of powers. And Kid Flash was. He was limited by his need to eat and his need for his goggles just to see. It seemed completely unfair to him.

“It’s nothing serious,” Wally began, but he could feel Kaldur’s stare on his side where the bandages were covered by his thin gown and Kaldur gripped his broken goggles tightly. “It only happens when I use my powers …”

_Wally sat on the uncomfortable examination table at Dr. Mid-Nite’s lab and his whole body was slumped forward in dread and fear as Dr. Mid-Nite babbled on about what was wrong with him. Uncle Barry stood next to him, his face pale and stricken, almost unbelieving as he listened to the doctor. Wally bit his lip, it was all so stupid. So stupid of him to think that he could obtain the Flash’s powers unscathed. That being struck by lightning wouldn’t do some kind of terrible irreversible damage to him. Wally should have known better._

_“It only occurs when he uses his speed,” Dr. Mid-Nite observed. “I doubt that the hyper metabolism or accelerated healing will trigger it, but movement will.”_

_“Will it go away? Why didn’t this happen to me?” Barry’s voice was tight._

_Dr. Mid-Nite shook his head. “I believe it’s permanent. And this happened by chance, Wally’s body just reacted differently to the lightning strike.”_

_“So I can’t use my powers?” Wally asked. That was the important question on his mind. It was the whole reason why he conducted the experiment. He wanted to matter, he wanted to help people, he wanted to be a hero like the Flash. He didn’t want to be normal anymore, because it’s gotten him nowhere so far._

_“Of course not!” Uncle Barry snapped. “Wally, you go blind when you use your speed!”_

_But Dr. Mid-Nite looked contemplative and touched the frame of the glasses that allowed him to see in light. “Actually, I might be able to help with that …”_

Kaldur looked down at the goggles in his hand. “So Dr. Mid-Nite made you these goggles so you can see while running?”

Wally nodded. “It’s not perfect, but it’s better than being blind.”

“You should have told me,” Kaldur’s voice was low and frustrated. Wally closed his eyes, unable to look his friend in the face anymore. Sometimes it was easier not to see. But Kaldur wasn’t letting him off easy and his voice rose. “You should have told me!”

Wally flinched at the tone. He could hear it, the twist of anger and worry that gnawed at the usually cool and calm teen. Guilt bubbled up in Wally briefly before it was replaced by his own frustration. “Hey! I can handle it! And I was holding off that assassin just fine without my goggles, I can take care of myself!”

“You were fine until she stabbed you,” Kaldur corrected. “And it’s not just about taking care of yourself! We’re a team, we take care of each other and I can’t do that if I don’t _know_!”

“You weren’t supposed to know! It wasn’t supposed to be an issue!”

“How am I supposed to lead and take care of this team if I don’t know everyone’s weaknesses? Where they need support the most?” Kaldur questioned. “We all have our weaknesses. Megan and I are vulnerable to fire, Superboy to kryptonite and Robin and Artemis have no powers. And we’re all developing our powers and skills. Wally, there is no shame in it.”

“It’s not just a weakness, I go blind when I use my _powers_.” Wally clenched his hands. “I never wanted anyone to know.”

_Kid Flash’s heart was beating frantically. Batman and Robin stepped out of the shadows and moved towards him and the Flash. It was the Dynamic Duo and the very sight of Batman made Kid Flash’s knees weak. He was experiencing a different kind of excitement than from when he met Speedy and Green Arrow. It was an excitement mixed with a healthy dose of respect and fear._

_“Don’t vibrate yourself into blindness again,” the Flash quietly warned with a low chuckle._

_Kid Flash flushed with embarrassment and nodded, doing his best to calm his nerves. Suddenly he gripped the Flash’s wrist and squeezed it. “Please,” he whispered fiercely, “don’t tell them.”_

_The teasing look dropped from the Flash’s face and his expression softened considerably. “It’s ok, they won’t know. They won’t know because you move flawlessly.”_

Wally had clung onto that memory for a long time. That he could get away with his condition because his uncle had trained him so well and he had. The Flash had done a great job in training him and that training might come through more if he wasn’t so stubborn and impulsive, if he applied that patience and willingness to listen when he could see as opposed to only when he couldn’t. Then he might not be having this conversation with Kaldur.

“Wally,” Kaldur’s tone was quieter as he hooked his hand behind Wally’s neck and leaned in close. “Wally, I wish you had told me. Not just because I am your team leader, but because I am your friend and because I would like to think that you trust me like I trust you.”

“Way to lay on the guilt,” Wally grumbled.

_“Aqualad!” Kid Flash was at his new friend’s side at an instant when the older teen got too close to the fire that was eating away the warehouse they were in. He liked to consider all the other sidekicks his friends, no matter how briefly he’s met them, and Aqualad was no exception. He slung Aqualad’s arm over his own shoulders and did his best to support the older teen’s heavier form and drag him away. Upper body strength was not his strong point._

_“I am ok, Kid,” Aqualad tried to reassure him. “I am just a little weak against fire,” he revealed to the speedster as Kid Flash dragged them away from the blaze. “Bothersome, isn’t it?”_

_“Dude, it’s not like I’m invulnerable to fire myself,” Kid Flash grinned and he honored about learning that little piece of information. Revealing his weakness was a sign that Aqualad thought that they were friends too, Kid Flash was sure of it._

“We have to tell the rest of the team,” Kaldur informed him.

“I know,” Wally said miserably and he pouted, “but I don’t wanna.”

_“This is YOUR fault!” Mary West’s voice rose sharply from the living room and she let out a dramatic wail. “My poor baby!”_

_Wally hugged his pillow closer to his chest. While he felt bad that Uncle Barry was downstairs breaking the news to his parents about Wally’s condition by himself, Wally was thankful for the fact that he was up in his room. Earlier his uncle had told Wally to stay upstairs and that he’d deal with his parents on his own._

_“I’ll handle it. You know how your parents can get,” Uncle Barry had said with a lopsided smile that had very little humor to it. It was bad enough that Wally had been struck by lightning trying to get the Flash’s powers and now his uncle was downstairs telling his parents that their only child went blind whenever he runs._

_“I knew it! I knew you should have never encouraged him about this superhero business! Look at what all that daydreaming has led to!” Rudolph snapped angrily, his voice carrying easily through the house._

_Wally knew that his parents were just worried, but it didn’t make him feel any better about the situation. It hurt him to know that his parents were mad at Uncle Barry and that they thought it was his fault when it wasn’t. It was Wally’s fault. His mother was yelling at Uncle Barry again and Wally buried his face into his pillow. This was why he didn’t want his parents to know. Wally didn’t want anyone to know._

Wally wasn’t sure if Kaldur’s grip on his arm was supposed to be supportive or to prevent him from running. It might have been meant for both Wally figured as Kaldur led him towards the kitchen. Earlier Wally took a detour to his room to get dressed into some sweatpants and a loose t-shirt since he didn’t want to wander around in only a hospital gown. Not that he was ashamed of his body, it was just kind of drafty. Once he was dressed he told Kaldur that he needed a snack and then the older teen could call a team meeting.

He almost hit the team leader when Kaldur lifted him up and placed him on the counter before turning to the refrigerator to make Wally a sandwich. Wally hated being treated like he was going to break even if he was a little tired and injured. Soon Kaldur pushed a sandwich into Wally’s hands and a glass of milk and watched to make sure that he ate everything.

“I’m _fine_ ,” Wally mumbled around a mouthful of food.

Kaldur’s face softened. “I know.”

Wally glared at his friend. “You better not be acting like this because of you know what.”

“I’m not.” Instead Kaldur’s eyes were glued to where Wally’s wound was and he absentmindedly brushed his hand against Wally’s uninjured side. “Next time I’ll lead this team better so no one will get hurt like this. I am sorry, Wally.”

Wally felt like a jerk. A really big jerk. “No, Kaldur, I—”

“Wally, I thought I heard you! You’re awake! We were all worried about you!” Megan flew into the kitchen, her face lit up with relief. Wally spotted a couple of bandages on her arms, but the Martian was otherwise unharmed and Wally felt his own relief.

“Megan,” Kaldur started, but Megan was already moving down the hall, telling everyone else that Wally was up. Kaldur gave Wally an apologetic look. “You do not have to speak to them now,” he said gently as he helped Wally off the counter.

“We might as well get this over with.” There was a touch of bitterness that Wally couldn’t keep out of his voice.

_His mother laid her hand over his own and she said, “You don’t have to be Barry’s sidekick.”_

_“You shouldn’t.” His father’s tone was both concerned and harsh. “Not with your disability.”_

_Wally’s face twisted up into an annoyed scowl. “I’m fine. Uncle Barry told you that Dr. Mid-Nite made me goggles so I can see when I run. I’ve tried them out and they work just fine.”_

_“I still don’t like it, not at all.” His father crossed his arms in a huff._

_Mary squeezed her son’s hand. “That doesn’t mean you have to be Barry’s sidekick or that you should.”_

_“But I want to be, I’ve always wanted to be!” Wally protested. “And Uncle Barry said he was going to train me and he said that he was going to keep a close eye on me and I promised to do everything he says when he says it!”_

_His parents exchanged frowns. Wally knew that they loved him, but they seemed to have lost all confidence in him once Barry told them about his condition. He wished, not for the first time, that Uncle Barry had never told them._

The team was gathered in the kitchen and asking Wally how he was feeling. They were all concerned and Wally had to remind himself that they probably had good reason to be. His side had been torn open during the mission and he did pass out in Kaldur’s arms. Once he reassured them that he was ok and Kaldur confirmed his claims, his friends relaxed. And Wally relaxed when he saw Robin, who like Megan had a few bandages, but was relatively unharmed.

Megan grasped his hand and beamed. “Thank you, Wally. You protected us even though you were injured.” She gestured to his forehead where he received his first wound when Kid Flash lost his goggles.

Conner lightly nudged his shoulder with a small smile. “Good job.”

“Yeah, you were pretty good out there,” Artemis admitted. “Though you look like crap right now.”

Wally stuck his tongue out at her. “You’re just jealous that you don’t have my mad skills.”

“You got lucky.” But there wasn’t much sharpness to her words.

Robin looked at his friend thoughtfully and observed, “During the mission you were fighting kind of … well, you weren’t fighting how you usually fight.”

Wally blinked in surprise. He didn’t know that Robin had been awake for any of his fight with the assassin, but Wally couldn’t see Robin and could only hear his groans of pain and labored breathing. And Wally knew that if Robin had seen him for even a second that his best friend would be able to immediately tell the difference in his fighting styles. Even though he couldn’t see Dick’s eyes from behind his sunglasses, he knew that there had to be an inquisitive gleam to them and that the wheels were turning in the other boy’s head as he tried to figure out why Kid Flash had acted so differently.

Megan, Conner and Artemis turned their attention Robin, not sure what the Boy Wonder was getting at and Kaldur placed his hand on Wally’s arm. There was no escaping now.

Wally suddenly found his socks to be very interesting and Kaldur squeezed his arm comfortingly. “Um, yeah, about that … you’re right, but … um, it’s because … IkindofgoblindwhenIrun.”

Artemis’s jaw dropped. “Did you just say what I think you just said?”

“Um, what do you think I said?” Wally asked.

“Something about you being blind and running.” Artemis pieced together with a frown.

Kaldur rubbed his hand along Wally’s arm and whispered, “Perhaps you should slow down.”

Wally swallowed past the dryness in his throat and nodded. “Yeah, right. I … Yeah, what you said Artemis … I go blind when I run.”

_“What!?” Uncle Barry’s voice cracked._

_Wally stared down at his hands. “I … I tried it again and again and I … I can’t see …” His eyes began to water. “Uncle Barry, I can’t see when I run! This … Does this happen to you? It doesn’t, does it? This isn’t normal, is it? There’s something wrong with me. There’s something really, really wrong with me.”_

_Barry’s arms were around his nephew in an instant. He held the scared thirteen year old boy tightly and whispered that everything would be alright, though neither of them was sure if it would be._

“Are you serious!?” Artemis’s arms flailed out almost humorously, but her face was twisted in a mixture disbelief and outrage. “Do you seriously go blind when you run?”

Wally winced at her words and expression and found that he couldn’t look at her anymore. He distracted himself by glancing at his other friends, trying to figure out what they were thinking. Kaldur was standing next to him and his hand moved from Wally’s arm to his back, silently encouraging him. Megan looked curious and thoughtful, Conner didn’t seem too surprised and Robin kept his face neutral, not betraying what he was thinking or feeling. Wally was used to Conner being silent, but Robin’s silence was beginning to unnerve him.

Megan tilted her head to the side and tapped her finger against her lips. “How do you see then? No, wait! Hello, Megan!” She lightly hit her forehead and her expression was knowing. “Your goggles, right?”

Wally nodded in confirmation. “Yeah, I … my goggles are specially made by Dr. Mid-Nite. They let me see when I run.”

Artemis raised her hands, trying to figure everything out. “Ok, let’s take a step back here, because I’m confused and there are some things that I want to know. First explain to us why the hell you go blind and then tell us why the hell this is the first we’re hearing about it.”

Wally let out a long breath and told them. He told them everything that Dr. Mid-Nite had told him and the Flash. That it was a side effect of being struck by lightning and it was triggered by whenever he used his super speed to run or to vibrate his molecules. That it was always temporary, but an episode could last up to almost an hour, depending on how much he was using his powers. That his goggles allowed him to see where he was going when he had an episode. That it didn’t happen to the Flash, that he was the special one that this happened to. And that Wally didn’t tell anyone beyond his aunt and uncle and his parents.

“I didn’t want anyone to know,” Wally whispered. “I know it doesn’t seem like it, but the Flash is really protective of me. God, you should have heard the fight we had after the whole Cadmus thing.” Wally rubbed his hand over his face as he remembered that argument. “I couldn’t even leave Central City. The only reason why I met Robin, Aqualad and Speedy was because they all came to Central City at some point and then I’d sneak out to see them, though the Flash caught me a couple of times and he was never too happy about it.”

_Uncle Barry’s hand rested heavily against the back of Wally’s neck as he steered the boy out of Oliver Queen’s mansion. “You can’t do those kinds of things, Wally! What if something had happened to you on your way to Star City!?”_

_“Isn’t that why we train? So, that if something happened and you weren’t around that I’d be able to protect myself?” Wally argued. “And I was just visiting Roy!”_

_“Yes, we train, but remember that I determine when you’re ready, not you. And I know that a visit with Roy usually means some kind of mischief happens. Don’t think I haven’t heard the stories from Batman and Aquaman with their own sidekicks and Speedy. And you know that you’re not supposed to be using your powers like that, not without me around!” Anger was creeping up in Uncle Barry’s voice._

_Wally’s shoulders sagged and he hung his head._

_“Hey, I’m just worried about you,” Barry’s tone was much calmer now, “and you promised we’d do things my way, right? I’m just doing this to protect you.”_

_Wally nodded silently. His uncle really cared about him and he appreciated that, but he just wished that his uncle wasn’t so protective and treated him like there was nothing wrong with him._

“So, I … I didn’t want you guys to think any differently of me or get overprotective and it wasn’t a problem until … until our last mission and my …”

Artemis crossed her arms with a scowl. “And your goggles got trashed and you were sliced opened.”

“Something like that.”

“You’re so stupid.” She shook her head and poked her finger against Wally’s chest. “Don’t keep things like that from us, since they can apparently get you killed!”

“So, how did you protect us then? How did you fight if you couldn’t see?” Megan asked.

“Oh, I can fight without my sight, the Flash trained me really well. And really, I wouldn’t let a little thing like blindness stopping me from protecting you, beautiful.” Wally grinned and actually felt a little proud of that. He looked at his friends expectantly and asked, “So, what do you guys think?” 

Wally held his breath, he didn’t want to be kicked off the team, and he didn’t want to be different.

Artemis sighed. “Just continue pulling your weight and we won’t have a problem.” Her face softened a little and she added, “I have your back, like usual.”

Conner’s expression was a little guilty. “I already knew, I kind of heard you and Kaldur talking in the medical bay.” Kaldur lifted an eyebrow and Conner shrugged. “Wanted to know if Wally was ok and you shouldn’t talk so loud.” He patted Wally on the head. “Next time, don’t get hurt.”

“I will make sure of it,” Kaldur said quietly, still concerned over Wally’s injury. “We will take precautions to make sure something like this doesn’t happen again.”

 _“I don’t think any differently of you, Wally, and I know you can handle yourself,”_ Megan’s voice said into his mind. _“But I want to know, I want to know how to help you if you need it. Just like how you want to help me when I need it.”_ Megan smiled as she grabbed his hand and squeezed it, saying out loud, “I’m glad that we know now. We’re a team, right? We’re supposed to know these kinds of things.”

Wally squeezed Megan’s hand back and returned her smile. 

“See, that was not too difficult,” Kaldur said reassuringly. “Though, I suspect that it will not be so easy when we tell Red Arrow.”

“Aw man, I have to tell Roy!? You said I only had to tell the team!” That was one person Wally really didn’t want to tell. At least Wally still had Speedy’s hat, it would give Roy something to throw when he exploded in rage. He then turned to his best friend, who had yet to say word. “What about you, Rob? What do you think?” 

Robin stared at Wally and suddenly shoved the speedster as he hissed, “Idiot.”

Wally’s eyes widened as he stumbled a couple steps backwards and watched as Robin ran out of the cave before anyone could react. Everyone stared, unable to make sense of what had just happened. Wally got over his shock first and did the only thing that came to his mind.

He ran after Robin.

Wally was outside, on the beach side of Mount Justice. He could hear the waves, smell the saltwater, feel the ocean breeze on his face, and sand already made its way into his shoes. But he couldn’t see any of it. In his haste to catch up with Robin, he used his super speed to run outside, not really thinking through the fact that he’d have one of his episodes. He closed his sightless eyes and tilted his head to the side, listening, trying to figure out where his friend was.

He didn’t have to listen for very long before he heard someone running towards him. Wally tried to think about what to say to Robin, but he didn’t get the chance when a punch was thrown in his direction. Only Wally’s speed allowed him to get over his surprise and block the hit and then the kick aimed at his head. Wally sidestepped the next punch, but he was caught off guard by the low sweeping kick that took his legs out from under him.

“I’ve told you _everything_!” Robin’s voice rose over the noise of the ocean waves. “I risked so much by telling you, but you couldn’t tell me this!”

Wally was on his feet again and he caught Robin’s arm when the younger teen threw his fist sloppily. “Rob, I didn’t tell anyone, I didn’t want you to know.”

Robin jerked his arm out of Wally’s grip. “I see, you didn’t want anyone to know your weakness, you didn’t want anyone to be able to help you. You always want to do everything on your own, like you have something to prove! Is this what you want!?” 

Wally barely dodged the next kick, the tip of Robin’s shoe grazed his cheek, but he didn’t dodge the quick strike to his ribs. He stumbled a few steps back and gritted his teeth, he could fight better than this, but he couldn’t bring himself to. It was his fault that Robin was so hurt and angry. But he couldn’t figure out how to explain to Robin that it wasn’t personal, that he still trusted Robin with everything else. Just not this.

“I didn’t want _anyone_ to know! I didn’t even want to tell Uncle Barry! If I had it my way, no one would know! I didn’t want you to think less of me, because I go blind when I run. I didn’t want you to _regret_ anything!” Wally’s voice cracked dangerously.

Robin stopped his attack. “Wally, what would I regret?”

Wally took a ragged breath and hiccupping a little as it began to feel like he didn’t have enough air in his lungs. “That … That you’d think you were putting me in danger or that you’d think it was your fault whenever I got hurt or … Or you wouldn’t want me as a partner …”

_“Wally! Pizza is here!” Uncle Barry’s voice called out from downstairs._

_Wally was spending the weekend with his uncle. Aunt Iris was gone on a business trip and asked Wally with a wink to watch over her husband for her. He was excited for a weekend of hanging out with his uncle, hearing stories about the Justice League and eating pizza. Springing out of his room, Wally ran out of his room, but Wally was still new to his powers and accidently used them. Wally stopped in the middle of the living room as his vision darkened. He was still trying to get used to the darkness, to suddenly losing his sight, and the only thing that comforted him was that he and the Flash were going to train and he would soon be able to move about with confidence. Wally reached out until his fingers hit the wall and he stood there, waiting for the light to return._

_“Wally?” Uncle Barry walked out of the kitchen and found his nephew leaning against the wall, standing perfectly still. “Wally, are you ok?”_

_“I’m fine, Uncle Barry. I just can’t see right now.” Wally did his best to sound strong and brave, that his episode didn’t bother him at all._

_But that seemed to be the wrong thing to do, because Barry pulled his nephew into a tight hug and Wally could hear the waver in his voice as he whispered fiercely, “I’m so sorry, Wally, I’m so sorry. This is my fault, this is my fault.”_

_Nothing broke Wally’s heart more than to hear his uncle say that._

“My uncle regrets it,” Wally told his friend. “He thinks it’s his fault that this happens,” he motioned towards his unfocused eyes. “It’s not his fault, but I can’t blame him for regretting taking me on. I mean, not only does he have train a teenager with powers, but one who goes blind too!” His own self-loathing tasted bitter against his tongue.

“Idiot,” Robin snapped and he shoved Wally again. “I’ve never met a mentor who was more proud or wouldn’t shut up about his partner than the Flash! God, you’re an idiot!”

“Dude!” Wally snapped back. “Stop calling me an idiot and quit shoving me!” 

He could hear Robin shuffle towards him and hands suddenly seized his face, lowering his head until his forehead touched Robin’s. The Boy Wonder sighed quietly. “You’re an idiot for trying to hide this, for thinking that the Flash doesn’t want you as a partner and thinking that I’d regret anything! I don’t, because I know you can handle yourself, I know you have my back, but how I am supposed to have yours when you don’t tell me these kinds of things!?”

“I’m sorry,” Wally whispered as Robin’s fingers pressed into his cheek. “I’m sorry, I know that you risked a lot by telling me your identity, but that didn’t change the fact that you’re an awesome ninja or Batman’s partner. I was afraid of what you’d think if I told you, if you knew. But I should’ve trusted you, I should’ve known better and I’m sorry.”

Robin sighed loudly. “I guess it’s partly my fault, I mean, how do I miss this during a background search? How did Batman miss this!?”

Wally laughed weakly. “No records, that’s why. It never made it into my medical records and Dr. Mid-Nite didn’t exactly ask for my health insurance information or send bills. So, do you forgive me?”

“I will, once you agree to teach me how to fight like you do,” Robin told him in a firm voice.

“What?”

“You’re going to teach me to fight in the dark in exchange for my forgiveness.”

Wally chuckled. “Yeah, ok, I’ll teach you.”

“And I want to be there when you tell Red Arrow.”

“Oh god, I really hope Kaldur doesn’t make me tell him. I don’t want him to throw a hat at me.” He shuddered and got a laugh out of his friend.

Robin let his laughter die down and became serious again. “Wally, your uncle,” Robin’s thumbs stroked his cheeks, “the Flash, he’s really is proud of you, like taking out his wallet and showing the Justice League pictures of you while talking about you kind of proud. It’s seriously annoying how proud he is.”

_Barry looked down at the goggles in his hand and the large crack in the lens. He and Wally had fought for a while about the Cadmus incident and the concept of Wally joining a team of other teenage superheroes. “So, I guess it’s decided. You’re going to be on your own team.”_

_“Yeah, I am.” Wally rubbed at his eyes, he was tired, hungry and emotionally drained._

_“I just …” Barry’s fingers unconsciously wrapped around the damaged goggles, “I just … I don’t want …”_

_“Nothing will happen to me! I promise!” Annoyance crept up into Wally’s voice._

_Barry shook his head and he smiled sadly. “No, I was going to say that I don’t want to lose my partner, the best partner in the business.”_

_Wally stood there shocked and a second later threw his arms around his uncle._

“Yeah,” Wally whispered in agreement. “I know.”

\--

He was grounded. Wally could go out on missions and to training, but everything else had been restricted. Visiting his friends, going to Mount Justice to hang out, after school activities, patrols, all of those were restricted for a month. Needless to say, when it came back around to Barry that Wally had never told his team about his condition, he was less than pleased. And even though Barry was not his father, Wally accepted his punishment, though he did complain loudly about it and even managed to get Aunt Iris’s sympathy. Until Uncle Barry told her why Wally was grounded, then she just gave him a stern lecture.

But while he missed hanging out with his friends and running around on patrol, it didn’t feel too much like being grounded. Not when Uncle Barry took time off from the Justice League to spend time with him on the weekends and got off of work early to meet him after school. It was nice, just spending time together and not being overly worried about being the Flash and Kid Flash. It was a nice break from the subtle change that his team went under.

His team never said anything. They never said anything to express their concern over the fact that their teammate that went blind every time he used his power. But Kid Flash could see it, he was too used to the Flash not to notice it. Especially when he found that Artemis was glancing over at him more often, Superboy quicker to anger when Kid Flash was thrown around, Miss Martian keeping closer tabs on him and Robin carrying around an extra set of goggles in his belt. He couldn’t blame them and he knew that they wouldn’t be able to hold back that bit of worry. 

But none of spoke about their concern, though they did want Kid Flash to teach them how to fight in the dark. They wanted to know if Superboy could trick Kid Flash’s keen sense of hearing by imitating voices. They want to know if Robin could sneak up on Kid Flash. They wanted to watch Robin’s recording of Red Arrow’s reaction to the news, mainly Roy throwing a lot more than hats at Wally while yelling and afterwards a hug that made Megan melt. That was how the team reacted, except for Aqualad.

Kaldur was supportive. While he had a bit of fun with Wally like the rest of the team, he also openly voiced his concern after their last mission when he saw that there was a small crack in Kid Flash’s goggles. He went with Wally to tell Roy, a hand on his shoulder the entire time. He was there when Batman found out. And he was there when the Flash found out that Wally never told his team until recently. Kaldur asked questions too, how did his parents treat him? Was the Flash very angry at Wally? Were there any issues with the team that he’d like to talk about? And Kaldur also asked about simple things, how was his day, what did he have planned for the weekend, did being grounded ‘suck’?

“You know, Kaldur tried to convince me to lessen your punishment,” Uncle Barry said casually, when Wally was two weeks into his month of being grounded. Punishment that weekend consisted of him and Wally crashing on the couch with soda and pizza while watching the new Green Lantern movie that had them in stitches. 

“Were you convinced?” Wally asked hopefully.

“Not in the slightest,” Barry chirped and shoved another slice of pizza into his mouth.

Wally just sank further into the couch and grumbled quietly.

“Kaldur’s a good kid though, I approve,” Barry said offhandedly.

“Huh?”

“Never mind, but I’m just glad that they know now.”

“So they can watch over me?” Wally sulked.

“No, so they can be thoroughly impressed with you.”

Wally stared at his uncle.

“So they can be proud of you,” Barry’s voice became soft as he wrapped an arm around Wally. “Because I am, I’m so proud of you, Wally. I was just bragging to Superman the other day about that A you got on your chemistry test and that my nephew fought a trained assassin on his own while blind. But Supes had some nerve, leaving before I could show him your new school picture. He’s just jealous.”

Wally smiled and closed his eyes, listening to his uncle. Yeah, Wally was proud of himself too.


End file.
